Why I Put a Young Horse Out to Pasture Pt. 2

Even though I vowed to do better, it didn't matter. I was way more careful after our accident. I gave her time off and took special care of her even though I was injured. After we were both completely fine, we resumed our daily rides with more caution. About a year later though, it happened again.

It was a cool evening at the barn, and the huge arena was filled horses. We were plodding along at an easy lope. The wind in my face was beautiful and the rocking horse feel calmed me. I was completely at ease. That is until I was hitting the dirt. We had loped passed a pen of cows. My mare being the spitfire she was lashed out with one hind hoof in an attempt to strike a cow.

She didn't hit the poor bovine, thank goodness. Though I had barely even felt the kick, I guess it made her lose her balance. She stumbled and fell on my left foot. She didn't roll on me this time but I crawled away just to be sure. My ankle was hurt and I probably looked like a deer in the headlights. It all happened so fast. I was more surprised than anything. The rest of the story is similar to the first time she fell. I had her checked over and nothing was found. I healed and I let her rest just to be sure.

Again we resumed normal life, and again I thought it was a freak accident. I did some research to see if this had happened frequently to other riders. I was presented with disorders and sicknesses that were already ruled out. I also thought maybe I was too big for her. This was also not the case.

That same year on Halloween, I was squeezing in a ride before dressing up for a night of fun with friends. Unfortunately, we were steadily cantering and I was fallen on again. This caused half of the skin of my leg to get sand-burned. The raw skin with dirt stuck to it felt excruciating. Again, we rinse and repeated what we had done before.

The last time Annie fell on my we were just trotting in a wide arc and she fell. Now, I had injured my right foot. What hurt more than anything though was my heart. I knew something was wrong with her and it broke my heart. I had her checked again and nothing was found. The vet said it was likely a neurological disorder that caused her to fall. He said she should be put out to pasture. This broke me. She was my everything and I felt like I had lost something huge.

After years of emotional struggling, I decided to feed lease any out. I was struggling to spend time with her due to the fear I had developed after so many accidents. She was also eating my parents out of house and home. There were a few options I pondered. I thought about breeding her, but ultimately I was forced to give Annie away. Fortunately, I see her often and know she is in a happy home. She was so young to be retired, but I knew it was the right thing to do. It still remains to be one of the worst things I have ever experienced.

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